recorder/mixer purchase for documentary work

[Doug Beatty]

A hard wire is always going to sound better than wireless, but you sacrifice a ton of utility being tethered to the mixer or camera. DPA 4061 lavs come terminated in a microdot that allows you to fasten flying leads for pretty much any mic input. So, you could invest in a microdot to XLR and microdot to TA5 or Lemo 3 depending on the wireless system you decide.

It's a double edged sword though, because that microdot is definitely the weak link as far as a failure point. They are also expensive, but money is no object. I'd make a 4061 my first choice (4063 if you are going with Zaxcom wireless).

COS-11D is a physically flatter capsule, easier to hide than a DPA, and sounds good to boot. Not as good as a DPA, but it's a workhorse lav that is part of any serious mixer's arsenal.

A B6 is a life saver when you have challenging wardrobe and cannot show mics on camera. The noise floor is higher, they clip sooner, and sound sharper than the above but you can pop it through a button hole and it will be virtually unseen, sounding light years better than a hidden mic rubbing up against a starchy shirt.

 

[Michael Lindsay]

We are film people that invested in audio recently... researched lots, tested a bit and ended up with

Zaxcom nomad 10 (worth the money due to Zaxnet)
QRX200
TRXLA2 x2
ERX2TCD x3
DPA 4071
Cos 11D x2
Sennheiser MKH 8060
ambient pole
Ambient TC network

Slight learing curve but really impressed with sound quality..

DPA 4071 is fantastic but we normally prefer boom over lav so we normally run cos11 for safety

 

[Marc Wielage]

That's a terrific kit, Michael, and more than worthy of capturing seriously high-quality sound.

I think it's possible to put together something that's about 80% as good for half the money, but no question, a Cadillac is not the same as a high-end Mercedes. My problem is with the people who buy Red cameras and then want the equivalent of a Toyota Yaris for sound.